Ghosts in the Machines: Towards a Taxonomy of Human Computer Interaction

This paper explores a high level conceptualisation (taxonomy) of human computer interaction that intends to highlight a range of interaction uses for advanced (symbiotic) systems. The work formed part of an EC-funded project called CEEDs which aims to develop a virtual reality based system to improve human ability to process information, and experience and understand large, complex data sets by capitalising on conscious and unconscious human responses to those data. This study, based on critical and creative thinking as well as stakeholder consultation, identified a range of variables that impact on the types of possible human computer interaction, including so called ‘symbiotic’ interactions (e.g., content displayed – raw/tagged; user response – explicit/implicit; and whether or not there is real time influence of user response on content display). Impact of variation in the number of concurrent users, and of more than one group of users was also considered. This taxonomy has implications for providing new visual stimuli for creative exploration of data, and questions are raised as to what might offer the most intuitive use of unconscious/implicit user responses in symbiotic systems.